Titan IIIC
News:
On June 18th, 1965, Titan IIIC was launched for the 1st time.
What:
- It is an ELV or expendable launch vehicle.
- Name meaning: refers to the children of Uranus (Heaven) and Gaea (Earth), as per Greek mythology.
- Features:
- 1st and 2nd stages- modified liquid-fuelled
- 2 lateral strap-on solid rockets
- In Titan IIIA- an additional stage called the transtage with twin Aerojet engines and fuelled by Aerozine 50 and nitrogen tetroxide liquid fuel
- In Titan IIIC (an upgrade of Titan IIIA):
- 2 huge strap-on solid rocket boosters- >25m tall and 3m wide
- Fuelled by aluminum/ammonium perchlorate solid fuel
Why:
- Developed to launch payloads heavier than those carried by Atlas-Centaur.
How:
- Used for placing communications and reconnaissance satellites in orbit for the military.
- Used for placing Applications Technology Satellite and other payloads in orbit successfully.
Who:
- Mainly used by the NASA and the US Air Force.
When:
- Titan IIIC launched for the 1st time in June 18, 1965, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- Used for the last time on March 6, 1982.
Facts:
- The Titan family launch vehicles started off as a large ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) to surpass the Atlas in terms of delivery capacity and sophistication.
- In October 1955, the development contract for this ICBM was issued.
- On February 6, 1959, the Titan was test launched for the 1st time. However, back then, it wasn’t modified for spaceflight.
- Titan II, a more powerful version, was developed with capacity for spaceflight. It was successfully tested in March 1962 and declared operational in 1963.
- It was modified as the Gemini-Titan II for launch of the crewed Gemini Project. Following this, it was used to place satellites in orbit.
- Titan 34D was introduced in 1982, based on Titan IIIC.
